Thursday, June 20, 2013

The Bubble Lady came to entertain our School Age crowd on Tuesday. She was very entertaining- the children were screaming! It was nice how she incorporated storytelling with bubbles. Bubbles were everywhere…tiny ones, BIG looooooong ones, kids were put in bubbles, and magic bubbles (the bubbles that would stay around for a while on objects in the room.) I have never seen so many bubbles before! I never knew you could make so many bubbles out of such odd things… a can? Really? Yes, really.

What was their favorite part at the program?
“The best part was being in a bubble!” –said a boy with bubbles stuck in his hair.

If you missed the show today, be sure to catch our upcoming shows! School Age programs are on Tuesdays at 3pm, and are for children going into 1st-6th Grades. The calendar can be found by clicking here.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

My experiences using the Discover Santa Clara library card discount have included delicious freshly made ice cream on a hot day, a free phyllo dessert at a lively, friendly, tasty Greek restaurant, free Korean ice cream bars at a local florist (in addition to the beautiful arrangement) and delicious pizza at a friendly, small pizza store.

A few weeks ago on a busy Friday night, three of us visited Athena Grill which offers a 10% off discount. We were acknowledged immediately and quickly seated in spite of the full crowd. Our food was very tasty and we were quite full when the owner asked if we wanted the freshly made dessert special. We declined but he insisted and "bought one for us." We shared a Galaktoboureko which is semolina custard wrapped in phyllo with lemon zest syrup. It was light and crispy with an amazing lemon flavor. Yum!

The next Friday night we tried Gugu's Pizza and Pasta. Once again the food was wonderful, discounted 10% and the staff was friendly.

With temperatures up last Friday, we headed for Mission City Creamery for freshly made ice cream at a 10% discount. Business was brisk and it was fun to watch kids and their ice cream. Ice cream is such a happy food.

Saturday was my wedding anniversary so I got my pick of the four participating florists. Not being big planners, we found out that Citti's (offering a 15% off discount) was closed at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday but we just went up Scott Blvd. to Fuji's Florist at 1900 Warburton Ave. Fuji's offers a 10% discount. Flowers were ordered but it was too hot to walk around the area while we waited. When I got impatient and went back inside the salesman was having a Korean ice cream bar and he offered them to us.

We had Korean honey dew melon flavored treats on that hot afternoon! Local businesses can provide these positive impromptu experiences that you can't get in a big chain stores. Getting the discounts and specials is nice but being introduced to some truly special local businesses is even better.

If you haven't taken your library card and visited one of our 30+ participating small businesses, you are missing out. It will all end July 31st so don't wait. Tell us about your experiences.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Join us for this summer’s ultimate club- The Summer Reading Club! What is the Summer Reading Club all about, you ask? Watch this video...

The Summer Reading Club encourages parents to read to their young children, and for children and teens to continue reading throughout the summer. This year’s themes- Dig Into Reading(click for children) and Beneath the Surface(click for teens) will explore the world beneath our feet. You can read ANY book you want. Don’t forget to track your reading on a Reading Log to receive a prize! Parents, you thought I would forget about you, didn't you? All adults can sign up for their own theme- Reading isDelicious (click for adults).

Please join us for our Summer Kickoff Party on Saturday, June 8th from 1:00-4:00pm behind the library (you can’t miss it!). Steve Chaney & Corny Crow will perform at 2pm!

Sign up for the Summer Reading Club June 1st to July 13th online or in the library.

The 2013 Summer Reading Program is sponsored by KeyPoint Credit Union.

Monday, June 3, 2013

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate received the Newberry Award for children's literature. This tale of a gorilla raised by humans and living alone for twenty-seven years becomes a tale of rescue when Ruby, a baby elephant is introduced to her "domain" (a cage). Ruby becomes the impetus for a pledge that Ivan made to Stella, his friend and neighbor at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. When Stella dies from neglect, Ivan realizes that Ruby's fate will be similar and decides to come up with a plan to get Ruby moved to a zoo. His plan involves the janitor's daughter, Julia, who must put together the pieces of Ivan's puzzle to decipher his intention.

Observations of humans from inside his cage and interactions with the other animals are humorous, and the support that the animals show for each other is inspiring. We humans could learn a thing or two from our ape ancestors. Recommended for 3rd - 5th grade readers, with a Lexile rating of 570.